TikTok is Testing Ways to Age-Restrict Contents as Part of its Safety Measure

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 08 February 2022, 03:02 pm

TikTok has been under fire for its weak safety measures, especially considering that most users are minors.

Now, the social media platform is looking for ways to age-restrict some of its content to protect its users.

TikTok's Age-Restrict Feature

The age-restrict feature is still in beta mode, but TikTok has stated that its goal is to prevent minors on the platform from seeing mature content and inappropriate videos.

TikTok decided to take action after it faced intense scrutiny from both the public and the government to handle user safety.

Last year, the company's Vice President for Public Policy shared at a Congressional hearing that it was working on new ways to correct that issue, according to Engadget.

Also Read: Instagram Requires Users to Enter Birthday, for Age Verification Purposes-Any Way to Avoid This?

TikTok is known to have an impressively precise recommendation algorithm. Now, it is working on letting the system classify content based on maturity and age appropriateness, according to TikTok's global issue policy head, Tracy Elizabeth.

Elizabeth said that when the new system is rolled out, all videos classified as overtly mature will no longer be visible to teens and children.

For videos that have less mature themes, app users will have the option to either skip or watch them.

Elizabeth did not reveal how the algorithm could separate mature videos from the appropriate ones. However, she hinted that it could resemble ratings used for movies, TV shows, and video games.

Elizabeth added that content for entertainment is divided into different categories, and they want their users to be able to choose which category they want to see on their timeline.

Parents will have the ability to control the preferences for their children through the Family Pairing settings, according to Gadgets 360.

The app is also reportedly working on a feature that allows creators to label their content. With that, their followers will know if the content has a mature theme or not.

Testing Age Restrictions Feature

While the app is running a small test of the age restriction feature, it could take some time before it will be available worldwide, as it is in its early stages. Elizabeth confirmed that the company has not fully decided on how they will complete the feature, according to News Journal.

Aside from the features, the company also shared a new set of community guidelines. Under the new guidelines, TikTok is giving dangerous challenges in its own section to make the policy more visible.

The social media company is also expanding the videos that it banned under the eating disorder policy. The new guidelines will prohibit videos that promote any eating disorder, like fasting, extreme calorie counting, over-exercising, and other signs of a potential problem.

Also, TikTok is also updating its rules to ban misogyny, deadnaming, and misgendering users. It will also ban videos that support conversion therapy programs.

TikTok stated that it had already removed these videos in the past, but the rules were not outlined yet in its community guidelines.